As the 2013-2014 season began, the Warriors were dubbed possible championship contenders. After a remarkable season where they reached the Western Conference semi-finals after a six year playoff drought, it seemed like the young team could only get better. Golden State acquired former Denver Nugget Andre Iguodala in the offseason, and with this acquisition the Warriors’ future seemed extremely bright.
However, the Warriors are currently 15-13, and the expectations seem to be dwindling away. The Warriors are currently the ninth seed in the Western Conference, and third out of five in the Pacific Division. Is this year going to be yet another letdown from the Warriors team?
It’s possible, especially with the way the young team has been playing this season. The Warriors currently average over 17 turnovers per game. If they want to match up with any of the other Western Conference playoff contenders, they need to learn how to take care of the ball.
Golden State matched up with the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, losing by two. The score would have been much worse if the Spurs’ big three were playing, and the Warriors managed to turn the ball over 24 times against San Antonio’s second unit. The Warriors two star players – Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala—contributed the majority of the turnovers. Despite the offensive talent on this roster, this team won’t go anywhere if their two leaders are making critical mistakes.
Golden State is still a team with a lot of potential. They have exceptional players who can bring the team to the playoffs. I still believe that the Warriors have one of the strongest starting fives in the NBA, when healthy.
Golden State was 8-3 at the start of the season, but things went south when Stephen Curry got concussed and the team’s luck vanished. After Curry returned, Iguodala strained his hamstring and missed twelve straight games—he has missed an average of three games a year during his nine years in the NBA.
The Warriors’ injury curse has come back to haunt them yet again this season. All of the Warriors backup centers are out due to surgery, which leaves Andrew Bogut and Hilton Armstrong (brought up from the D-League) left to take care of the hoop.
As a longtime Warriors fan, I can honestly say that with this team, anything is possible. This season, we’ve seen multiple buzzer beaters and unimaginable comebacks—the Warriors rallied from 27 down to beat the Raptors earlier this season. This team has what it takes to make it to the playoffs this year. It’s still early in the season, and once the Warriors are healthy, they will prosper. The Warriors travel to Denver to play “Iggy’s” former team on Monday.
Vote for your Warriors here: http://www.nba.com/warriors/dubthevote and help send them to the All-Star game!
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